SANTA ROSA – Max Steven Jackson Weinreb was 21 years old and came from Mill Valley, a town in Marin County just north of the San Francisco Bay. While living in a nice home with a view, he had nonetheless found his share of trouble over the past couple of years. But he was perhaps in over his head when he and an unidentified friend met up with two men at the Vagabond Inn in Santa Rosa with the intent to sell them marijuana. Something apparently went wrong, and the result was that Weinreb was shot and killed by one of the men, both whom have since been arrested themselves.
Records show that Weinreb had been arrested in July of 2012, when he was 19, for possession of a false government ID and using false evidence of age – charges that usually mean a teenager trying to buy liquor with a false ID. However, a few months later, in February of 2013, he faced much more serious charges. At that time, he was arrested for possession of marijuana for sale, selling marijuana, and possession of a loaded firearm.
But Max Weinreb was much more than another young pot dealer. He was an aspiring hip hop artist and rap singer who went by the name Pro2col. According to his biography on his Faceook page “My Emcee name is “PRO2COL,” real name’s Max, I’m an MC/Producer/Lyricist/Promoter/Entrepreneur with big ambitions. I’ve been B-Boying for 6 years. I have been writing lyrics and recording for almost 2 years. I’m a pretty humble dude…” His music videos can be seen at his personal website www.pro2colmusic.com.
But it appears that neither his earlier arrests, nor his budding music career deterred him from his willingness to deal in marijuana, and on Sunday, August 31, he and a friend had made arrangements to meet two men, Donald “Buddy” Paul Parker, 35 of Vallejo, and David Edward Espinal, 46 of Sacramento, to sell them marijuana. The Press Democrat quoted Santa Rosa PD Sgt. Dave Linscomb as saying “It was a fairly large quantity of marijuana that would be considered for sale and distribution” Weinreb and his partner met up with them at the Vagabond Inn on Cleveland Avenue in north Santa Rosa to make the transaction. However, things did not go as planned, and at 7:40 pm, shots rang out in the room.
The shooting occurred at this Santa Rosa Vagabond Inn.
Police were called when the gunfire was heard. Officers and emergency medical personnel were sent, and when they arrived, they found Max Weinreb in the room suffering from gunshot wounds to his torso. Attempts were made to save his life, but he was soon pronounced dead at the scene. Cause of death was determined to be a gunshot wound to the chest. Weinreb’s friend, however, was not injured, and he reported that the two men, described as black males in their 20’s or 30’s, left the room through window. They were seen leaving the premises in a red car, taking the marijuana with them.
The investigation began, and Weinreb’s family offered a reward of $10,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the two men. Detectives were able to identify one possible suspect in the case, Donald Parker. A warrant was obtained for his arrest on homicide charges.
Parker was tracked to his Vallejo home on Moonraker Drive after he was seen driving in the area. On Wednesday, September 10, at 11:00 pm, the Santa Rosa Police SWAT team, with assistance from the local Vallejo Police and air support from Highway Patrol units, surrounded his home on Moonraker Court in southern Vallejo. They then ordered him to surrender, but he instead tried to escape the dragnet through a neighbor’s back yard, but could not get past officers. He did not give up, however, and went back to his home, and tried hiding in a trash can. It didn’t work; he was found and arrested without further incident.
Parker’s history with the law includes an arrest in 2010 while he lived in Santa Rosa for burglary, possession of stolen property, possession and sale of controlled substances, cultivating marijuana, and resisting arrest.
As the investigation continued, and with Parker in custody, detectives identified David Espinal as the other suspect who left the scene with Parker. A warrant was obtained, and Santa Rosa police detectives, working in concert with the Sacramento Sheriff’s Department, located Espinal and arrested him at the Twin Rivers Adult School on Grand Avenue. He was booked into the Sacramento County Jail in the murder warrant and a parole violation. It is believed that Espinal fired the weapon that killed Weinreb.
The investigation continues, and anyone with information is encouraged to call the Santa Rosa Police Violent Crimes Investigation Team at 707-543-3590.
Read More:
Max Weinreb obituary: Legacy.com
Press Democrat: Police: Friend was in room when Marin County man killed at Santa Rosa hotel
